


Dulled

by emecarlate



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Friendship, Gen, One Shot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 18:39:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5551106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emecarlate/pseuds/emecarlate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zane didn't really know what happiness was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dulled

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before the start of the series, before Kai arrives.

Near the entrance to the monastery, Zane sat in with his legs crossed and his eyes shut in deep focus. He found early on that he needed to work twice as hard as his teammates to sense his environment, and meditation became a regular habit. Even then, he couldn’t quite feel things such as the sun’s warmth or the prick of a thorn.

Footsteps from behind broke his concentration. The newcomer eventually sat in front of him. They sat in silence until Zane felt a soft poke to his nose. He opened his eyes.

“You’re so serious all the time.” Jay’s voice was hushed, and his eyes were wide. Whether it was in awe or fear, Zane wasn’t sure.

“I have good reason to.” Zane’s reply came automatically. He took Jay’s hand, which still hovered near his face, and lowered it.

“You should smile more often. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile in the time that you’ve been here, even at my best jokes.”

Zane made a mental note of that. “If you say so.” The corners of his mouth turned up, but the rest of his face remained stiff.

Jay frowned. “Do you really have to force yourself…?”

_I thought I was doing well._ Zane blew a frustrated sigh. “I am not like you, or Cole, or even Sensei, and I doubt that will change any time soon.” He uncrossed his legs and stood up. “If you will excuse me.”

Jay jumped up and stood in front of him. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that! I meant it like…” He looked around at the ground, at his hands, and finally at Zane. “Are you even happy here, Zane? Do you like us? Do you like… me?”

Truthfully, Zane wasn’t sure. He only remembered a few weeks of his life, and the only significant event was being recruited by Sensei Wu. Zane didn’t really know what happiness was. And yet, the difference between life in the village and life as a ninja was immeasurable. He now had people that he could call friends. He didn’t have to drift from one minor task to the next; he could devote himself to learning and training to become stronger. He supposed that he could call that happiness.

Zane placed a hand on Jay’s right shoulder and bent down slightly to meet his gaze. “I would not have stayed if I did not like being here. Please believe me when I say that, despite my expression or lack thereof. And yes, I like you and the others very much.” He started to walk back into the courtyard.

Grinning wide, Jay followed him in. “I knew it. I’m your _best_ friend though, right?”

“I don’t see why not.”


End file.
